Air and gas supply apparatus.



PATENTED JAN. 24, 1905.

J. E. TRUCKSES. AIR AND GAS SUPPLY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1904.

Patented January 24, 1905.

PATENT ()EEICE.

JOHN E. TRUOKSES, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR AND GAS SUPPLY SAPPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,543, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed March 2, 1904. Serial No. 196,204.

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN E. TRUOKSES, of

Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of This invention relates to apparatus for supplying air and-a combustible gas in predetermlned proportionsunder pressure for use in heating, lighting, &c.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple, durable, eifective, and economically.

operating apparatus of this character having means whereby the air and gaswhile under the pressure of one holder or gasometer device may be forced separately into separate holders and there stored ready to be mixed at a point adjacent to the place of consumption.

Letters Patent of the United States No.

748,840, granted January 5, 1904:,to Walter J holder of the present apparatus stores the air and gas separately, although under the pressureof the same holder device.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying the present invention and including one form of mixer located adjacent to the point where the mixed air and gas will be consumed.

Fig. 2 represents a sectional View of a modified form of mixer hereinafter described, said modified form being preferred for, many reasons.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in both figures.

In the drawings, a represents a tank or'res ervoir open at its upper end and adapted to contain a body of water or other liquid to serve as a seal for the lower ends of two re- 5 ceivers b and 0, each of said receivers being an inverted bell or tank closed at its upper end. and open at its lower end and adapted to rise and fall in the liquid in the tank a. The receiver 0 is contained within the receiver 6 and is rigidly secured to the latter. by a rod 0Z, afiixed to the tops or heads of the receivers 6 and c and causingsaid receivers to rise and fall in unison.

0 represents an airinlet which extends through the bottom of the tank at, its lower end being open to the atmosphere, while its upper end, which is provided with a downwardly-closing check-valve e, is arranged to deliver air to the receiver 1) at a point above the liquid seal.

f represents a gas pipe connected with a source of supply of combustible gas under pressure, said pipe extending through the bottom of the tank a and upwardly into the receiver 0, its upper end being provided with a downwardly-closing check-valve f. The pipe f therefore delivers gas to the receiver 0.

Means are provided for alternately raising the receivers & and 0 and .for releasing said receivers and permitting them to descend by gravitation. When the receivers are raised, a partial vacuum is formed between their upper ends and the surface of the liquid in the tanka, so that air rushes through the air-inlet pipe 6, raising the valve 6 and filling the space in the air-receiver b above the liquid seal. At the same time gas enters the upper portion ofthe gas-receiver 0 through the pipe f, the valve f opening like the valvee. The practical efiect of the raising and lower-ingof the receivers b and 0 is to. cause them to constitute practically a pump for first drawing in the air and gas and then forcing it out throughsuitable pipes or conduits, which will be presently described. I will first describe the means here shown for raising and equalizing the air and gas receivers. V I V A vertical cylinder 5 is fixed to the bottom of the tank a and extends upwardly within the gas-receiver c to a point above theliquid seal. A piston j, vertically novable in the'cylinder i, is aflixed to the lower end of the rod d, which connects the receivers Z) and c. A conduit supplies water to the'lower end of the cylinder 7 and permits it to escape again therefrom, the passage of water to andfrom the cylinder '5 being controlled by a suitable cock contained within the casing m. The supply-pipe 0 and waste or drain pipe 29 and the weighted lever r are all substantially the same as in the patent above referred to. The same is true of the vertical rod .9, connected to one arm of the lever r and provided with spring-abutments 8' 8 adapted to be engaged by the flange t of the tubular member 6, affixed to and verticallv movable with the receiver 0.

The supply-pipe 0 is provided with a shutoff cock or valve o which is actuated by a rod 42 having stops q) Q) adapted to be alternately engaged by a projection e extending laterally from the storage receiver or bell 6, presently described. The cock-casing m is provided with branches 2, 3, and 1, to which are respectively connected the supply-pipe 0, conduit 7c, and drain-pipe p.

So far the apparatus is the same as or closely resembles the structure shown in the patent above referred to and in which the air and gas are forced into a gasometer comprising a single bell or receiver. I will now proceed to describe the structure of the apparatus whereby I am enabled to preserve air and gas under suitable pressure and in separate holders from Which separate pipes lead to a suitable mixer and burner.

5 represents a tank or reservoir similar to the tank a, but preferably larger of course. The said tank is open at its upper end and adapted to contain a body of water or other liquid to serve as a seal for the lower ends of the two storage receivers or bells 6 7, connected together at their tops by means of suitable straps or rigid links 10. A pipe 8 for the gas leads from the receiver 0 into the space within the receiver 7, and a pipe 9 for air leads from the receiver 6 to the space within the receiver 6. The ends of the pipes 8 and 9 within the storage bells or receivers are provided, respectively, with check-valves 8 and 9 Leading from the space Within the bell 7 is a gas-pipe 11, and an air-pipe 12 leads from the space Within the bell 6, said pipe 11 being provided With a shut-off cook 13.

At the top of the bell 7 is a tubular valvecasing 14, having slots or orifices in its vertical walls. Fitting within said casing is a tubular valve 15, also having slots or orifices adapted to register with the orifices of the casing 14:, so as to permit the passage of gas therethrough, or which may be so set as to close or shut off such passage and prevent any escape of gas from the bell 7. The top of the valve 15 is formed with a recess 16 to receive a key or Wrench for turning said valve. To prevent tampering with said valve, the edge of the casing 1 1 extends above the valve and has a cap 17 screwed thereto, so as to prevent any possibility of the valve being accidentally turned. The opening from the top of the bell 5 7 to the interior of the valve 15 is provided with a check-valve 18. The object of this construction will be pointed out hereinafter.

The body of the mixer-casing is represented at 19, and 21 and 20 indicate, respectively, the branches to which the gas and air pipes 11 and 12 are connected. A perforated plug 22 is located in the branch 21, and the body of the casing is provided with deflectors 23, adapted to cause the intimate commingling of the air and gas passing through the mixer. Above the deflectors 23 is a perforated plug 24, the top of the mixer being closed by a cap 25, having a foraminous diaphragm 27, above which is supported a tube 26, which may be termed, for convenience, the burner-tu be. For instance, it may be understood that the tube 26 is the burner-tube of a W elsbach incandescent lamp.

It will be observed that the deflectors 23 are so arranged relatively to the course that will naturally be taken by the air and gas that there must necessarily be an intimate commingling of the two. Owing to the presence of the perforated plug 24, there is little possibility of any explosion occurring in the body of themixer-chamber. If there should, however, or if for any reason any flame gets within the mixer chamber, the perforated plug 22, which will practically be of refractory material, will prevent any possibility of ignition of the gas in the pipe 11.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the general shape of the mixer-casing is the same as in Fig. 1. In this preferred form, (shown in Fig. 2,) however, I have shown deflectors 28 as projecting inwardly from the side of the casing opposite the point at which the gas enters, said deflectors being also inclined upward. The casing is formed with an opening through which a perforated plate 29 may be inserted or removed, said plate 29 having deflectors 3O projecting inward and upward, the upper and lower edges of said plate litting between guides 31, whereby said plate and its deflectors may be withdrawn from position when it is desired to clean the interior of the mixer or for any other purpose.

The objects of the valves 13 and 15 are as follows: As shown in Fig. 1, the valve 15 is closed, and it is to be supposed that the cock 13 is open. Of course since there can be no escape of gas from the bell 7 through the top it must pass through the pipe 11, and of course the air and gas are held separate from each other in the bells 6 and 7, although both are subject to pressure caused by the weight of the said bells; but if it be desired that the gas and air shall be mixed together in the storage-receiver or gasometer as a whole the cock 13 may be shut off and the valve 15 at the top of the bell 7 turned so that its oriflees will register with the orifices in the easings 1 1. Since, then, the only outlet for the gasometer as a whole will be through the pipe IZC 12, (cock 13 being closed,) the gas within the 3 bell 7 must pass the check-valve 18 and then through the orifices in the valve 15, so as to mix with the air in the bell 6.

I claim v 1. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising means for simultaneously pumping two different gaseous fluids, separate storage-receivers for holding said'fluids, said receivers comprising two connected inverted bells, and independent pipe connections for conducting the fluids from the pumping mechanism to said receivers.

v 2. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising means for simultaneously pumping two difierent gaseous fluids, separate storage-receivers for holding said fluids, said receivers comprising two connected. inverted bells, independent pipeconnections for conducting the fluids from' the pumping mechanism to said receivers, a mixer, and independent pipe connections leading from the separate storage-receivers to said mixer.

3. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising means for simultaneously pump' ing two different gaseous fluids, separate storage-receivers for holding said fluids, independent pipe connections for conducting the fluids from the pumping mechanism to said receivers, a mixer, and independent pipe connections leading from the separate storagereceivers to said mixer, means being provided for shutting of]? the flow through the gas-pipe connection to the mixer, and means for opening communication between the two separate storage-receivers, whereby the two fluids may commingle in the storage-receiver and pass therefrom in mixed condition to the mixer.

4. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising a primary tank and a secondary tank, each having two connected inverted receivers, means for raising and lowering the receivers in the primary tank, means for admitting air and gas separately to said primary receivers, and separate conduits for gas and air leading from the interiors of the primary receivers to the interiors of the secondary receivers.

5. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising a mixing-chamber, means for separately storing air and gas, and separate conduits leading from the said air and gas SE01? age receivers to the said mixer.

6. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination with two connected inverted receivers, of means for opening communication between thetwo receivers, means for supplying air and gas separately to said receivers, and a mixer having separate conduits leading thereto from said receivers, one

of said conduits having a valve for closing it.

7. In an apparatus of the character specified, thecombination with two connected inverted receivers, of a tubular casing between the tops of the two receivers, said casing communicating with the inner receiver and having orifices 1n its walls, a tubular valve having orifices and fitted to be rotatively adjusted in said casing, means for supplying air and gas separately to said receivers, arid a mixer having separate conduits leading from the said receivers, one of said conduits havinga shutofl'cock.

8. An air and gas mixer comprising a casing having internal deflectors, means for supplying air and gas to the interior of said casing, the connections being such that the air and gas meet at an acute angle to each other, adjacent to said deflectors, the deflectors being oblique relativeto each other and to the walls of the casing.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

JOHN E. TRUCKSES. Witnesses:

A. W. HARRISON, R. M.'PIERsoN. 

